Former Clayton PA's credit card limit 'nearly half as big as annual salary'

The former PA of Adam Clayton, who allegedly stole almost €3m from him, had a credit card limit nearly half as big her shared annual salary, a court has heard.

Hawkins (aged 48) of Lower Rathmines Road, Dublin has pleaded not guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to 181 counts of theft from two of Mr Clayton’s Bank of Ireland accounts over a four year period from 2004 to 2008.

The alleged thefts totalled €2,869,274.

Defence counsel Ken Fogarty, SC put it to David McManus, a garda forensic accountant, that Adam Clayton was undersigning Ms Hawkins credit card.

“Why would the bank credit card services offer her a card with a €23,000 limit on her income of €48,000?” Mr Fogarty asked.

Mr McManus said he could not comment on why the credit card services would issue the card to Ms Hawkins with such a high limit.

Counsel also put it to Mr McManus that if there was a problem with the spending on the credit card, Mr Clayton’s accountant Gabby Smith would have detected it.

“But no-one said anything,” continued Mr Fogarty.

Mr McManus agreed with Mr Fogarty that Ms Hawkins’ authority to sign cheques is not in doubt but said it did not mean she was entitled to write cheques for her personal use.

“In my view being a signatory does not give you carte blanche to sign cheques for personal use,” Mr McManus told defence counsel.

He disagreed that Ms Hawkins held a joint account with Mr Clayton when Mr Fogarty showed him a mandate with Mr Clayton and Ms Hawkins signatures on it.

“That is not my understanding. It’s a joint application for a laser card but not a mandate for the operation of a joint account,” Mr McManus said.

“I haven’t seen sufficient evidence to show it was a joint account. It’s an account of Mr Clayton’s giving her permission to be a signatory.”

Earlier, Mr McManus told prosecuting counsel Colm O’Briain BL that he analysed the Quickbook Accounting system Ms Hawkins used to keep a record of payments made from Mr Clayton’s two bank accounts – Danesmoate and Fitzwilliam - which she was a signatory of.

He said he only located four of the 181 cheques recorded onto the system.

He said one entry for a cheque for €15,312 was recorded as being made payable to Moylan & Associates Project Managers but when the cheque was retrieved from the bank, it was made payable to C Hawkins and lodged into her personal account.

He said he also established that there was a limited amount of details on the cheque stubs for the 181 cheques.

Mr Clayton, who sat through the day’s proceedings, is expected to give evidence this week.

The trial continues before Judge Patrick McCartan and a jury of seven men and five women, and is expected to last another five weeks.